Kannur Dental College Management Rejects Caste Harassment Claims in Student Suicide Case
The management of Kannur Dental College in Anjarakandy, Kozhikode, has issued a strong rebuttal to allegations that the suicide of BDS student Nitin Raj was caused by caste-based harassment. In an official statement, the institution labeled these claims as entirely baseless and pointed to a financial loan application as the central factor in the tragic incident.
Management's Account: Loan App Pressure Led to Tragedy
According to a statement released by Prof P Adnan Siddique, the medical director representing the Prestige Educational Trust, the student's death is directly linked to complications arising from a loan he obtained through a digital lending application. The management provided a detailed sequence of events leading up to the suicide.
The episode reportedly began when a female faculty member started receiving persistent calls and messages from the loan application's recovery agents, as she had been listed as a reference contact. This prompted the teacher to initiate the process of filing a formal complaint with the cyber police.
Nitin Raj was subsequently summoned to the principal's office to address the situation. During this meeting, Raj confessed that he had taken the loan on behalf of his brother-in-law, Ashokan. When attempts to contact Ashokan failed due to his phone being switched off, the situation escalated further.
Critical Moments Before the Suicide
The management's statement reveals several key details about the final interactions:
- Raj explicitly told the principal that he had not provided the teacher's name as a reference when applying for the loan.
- When asked to remove her name from the reference list, Raj was unable to comply.
- The teacher, frustrated by the continuous harassment from loan recovery agents, decided to proceed with filing the cyber police complaint and began drafting it immediately.
- At this precise moment, Raj left the principal's room without explanation.
- Shortly afterward, he jumped from the college building, resulting in his tragic death.
College's Previous Interventions and Current Actions
The management emphasized that this was not the first time they had intervened in matters concerning Nitin Raj. They disclosed that the institution had previously addressed issues involving the student that occurred outside the campus premises, demonstrating their commitment to student welfare.
Furthermore, the college administration had called Raj's parents to the campus and sent him home with assurances that professional counseling would be arranged to help him cope with his difficulties.
In response to the allegations of caste discrimination, the management firmly stated that neither the student's family members nor his classmates had ever raised any formal complaints regarding caste-based harassment during his time at the institution.
Evidence Submitted to Investigators
The college administration has taken proactive steps to cooperate with the ongoing investigation:
- They have handed over comprehensive CCTV footage to the police, which documents the entire sequence of events from when Raj was called to the principal's office until the tragic incident.
- The institution has submitted all relevant written communications involving Nitin Raj and his parents as part of the official investigation.
- Complete academic records pertaining to the student have been provided to authorities to facilitate a thorough examination of the case.
Family's Firm Rejection of College's Narrative
In a stark contradiction to the management's claims, Nitin Raj's family has categorically rejected the college's version of events. They maintain that the institution's account represents a deliberate attempt to protect the teachers allegedly involved in the case.
The family has reiterated their original allegation with renewed emphasis, asserting that caste-based ill-treatment and harassment by certain teachers were the primary factors that drove the young student to take his own life. This fundamental disagreement between the college management and the grieving family continues to be the central point of contention in this tragic case.
